As a former national record holder in the marathon, He Jie, who returned to Yunnan, has reinvented himself as a writer. He announced on his social media account that his autobiographical new book "Running Saved Me Thousands and Thousands of Times" will be officially released on June 6.

In fact, Paoye had long known that He Jie was going to publish a book.

In late March, when Yiqi Tie talk invited He Jie to record an episode, he revealed that the book he had written, "Running Saved Me Countless Times", was already in post-production and just awaiting release.

He Jie said that as early as last year he had put publishing a book on his agenda. At first he only wanted to write his running experiences and insights as an e-book to share with more people online — after all, it's more convenient and faster.

But because he has long been in the habit of reading physical books, he ultimately went against the current and chose to publish in print, meeting readers in this way at a time when everyone is glued to the internet.

In an era that prizes efficiency and speed, He Jie used his pen and his heart, taking a slow-and-careful approach to forge his path in sport — from substitute to starter, from being written off to breaking the national record twice. Through the roar of public opinion, enduring everything, he ultimately ran his second-best professional result in Tokyo, achieving redemption.

Today’s He Jie may no longer hold the national record, and he was unfortunately outside the top three at the Nagoya Asian Games selection race, but as he himself says, life is never a smooth road — the same is true on the track and even more so off it. True strength isn’t the absence of failure; it’s choosing to keep moving forward after you fall.

If it weren't for running, He Jie might now be herding sheep on a hillside in Hejia Village, Lingsha Township, Pingluo County, Shizuishan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. If it weren't for running, He Jie might already have settled down and started a family — his children might even be old enough to be running errands.

But of all things, running saved him from a barren life and from aimlessness.

As a child, he simply thought running was fun. Back then he said, "I was happy when I ran; I liked working up a good sweat."

The 2008 Beijing Olympics planted a seed in 10-year-old He Jie; he admired Usain Bolt's archer-like pose. In 2013, after being selected for the Ningxia professional team, he had his shoes stepped off at a district sports meet, ran 10 laps barefoot, and ultimately won the silver medal.

Later, when he had nowhere else to turn, he resolutely followed Coach Xiao, even willing to act as a training partner. Fate, quietly, planted a seed for him.

The rest of the story is well known. He went from a 2:15 in Nanjing in 2020 to a 2:12 in Xuzhou in 2021, to a 2:11 in Berlin in 2022, and finally ran 2:07:30 in Wuxi in 2023, rewriting a Chinese marathon record that had been dormant for years.

If the story had turned into an upward curve from that point, He Jie would have been hailed as a hero or a victor, receiving only praise and adulation — but that would be predictable and less moving.

But fate's script surprised everyone. He fell to rock bottom and was cursed by thousands of keyboard warriors; he bore a stigma — when he stepped outside, it seemed the air itself was filled with hostility. Seventy-year-old Director Xiao has said more than once that no one knows what He Jie went through during that time, or whether he could ever pull himself out of it.

But He Jie still came through. In Tokyo in 2025 he ran 2:07:20, pulling himself out of the abyss. Although a new king has now emerged, He Jie, as a pioneer of Chinese marathon running, is still searching for the motivation and meaning to keep going.

Competitive sport is brutally unforgiving — it’s youth and it’s rivalry. But those who walk the path of competitive athletics catch a glimpse of life through sport. He Jie was candid this year on the program "YiQiTie Talk": without the lows of his past, he would not have been reborn. Only by weathering storms can one see their own cowardice — and only then discover how truly strong they are.

In fact, He Jie's love of books, or his habit of reading, is not something that only began recently. As early as 2023, in several interviews with PaoYe, He Jie revealed the books he loved at the time — philosophy, works like the Selected Works of Mao, and others — books he could open and immediately lose himself in. In those books he holds an intellectual, like-minded dialogue with wise thinkers, quietly expanding his own understanding and perspective.

Photo: He Jie

He Jie has always taken an unconventional path. Yet along that path he developed his own most authentic style and became uniquely himself. He Jie says what has carried him to this point has never been talent or honors. After 20 years of running, he's seen himself at his most disheveled and learned life's simplest truths. Young people like him now, during their own odysseys, inevitably go through moments of confusion, anxiety and helplessness—unsure where the road ahead leads and whether perseverance even matters.

This book might give you some answers: Running Saved Me Over and Over.

On June 6, He Jie will debut his new book in his livestream, talking with everyone about 20 years of running and offering this strength to those who are confused, those who are persisting, and those who have never given up.

Leave your message of support for He Jie in the comments; Paoye will also give away one copy of "Running Saved Me Thousands and Thousands of Times".